5K Eve

Well, it’s almost time!  I’m starting to feel a little less nervous and more excited!  I drove through the course today to familiarize myself with it, so I feel a little better about where to go and what the run will look like.    I have to say that I’m a tad bit disappointed with the weather.  We are having a Nor’easter – rain, cold, wind.  Major yuckiness.  Not pleasant for running, but what’s a girl to do?  Drop out?  No way!  I’m doing it…no matter how nasty it gets!  How’s that for motivation?!  *okay, that was a total “fake it til you make it” move, but it sure sounded good, didn’t it?*  ;)

My stomach was a bit off this morning and I got a late start on breakfast.  I opted for a Chobani yogurt with lowfat granola and it was perfect…

I had some errands to conquer, then drove my course.  I got a Pumpkin Spice Latte to keep me company (didn’t have my camera on me – bad blogger, so I took my pic when I got home!)…

Lunch was ridiculously late by the time I got home from my gallivanting.  I whipped up a Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burger, topped it with some arugula and Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade and put it on an Ezekiel Sesame Hamburger Bun.  I definitely needed some Sea Salt and Pepper Rice Chips for crunch on the side…

The daughters had friends over for the afternoon and I helped them put together a Halloween Gingerbread House, then left the room before the icing licking got out of hand!

It was pizza night for the husband and daughters, but I opted to eat from the freezer.  I heated up some Vegetable Lasagna along with green beans with evoo, garlic and topped with parmesan…

Who needs pizza ;)

Okay, the time is near.  Thank you all for your awesome comments!  One in particular that cracked me up was from Anonymous Paula telling me to enjoy myself and not worry so much cuz it’s not the Olympics!!  LOL!!!  True that!  But, in a way, it is my own personal version of the Olympics.  I have never done anything like this in my life.  I have never been athletic, never been in shape, never ran and heck, until about 2 years ago, never even like walking much!  So, I’ve come a  long way.  I’ve worked hard these past 2 years to lose 70 lbs., start and continue with a regular exercise program and slowly, but surely, work my way into running.  It’s been a struggle, but the results have been rewarding.  Although it’s scary, I’m looking forward to this race tomorrow.  No matter what the outcome may be, I can feel good about pushing myself to do something that I never thought I could.

Better get some rest.  Big day tomorrow.  Deep breath…

A Crock Of…

It was a rushed morning, mainly caused by me trying to fit in some things before leaving the house.  Gotta cross stuff off the list!!!  No time for a proper breakfast, but I wasn’t that hungry anyway and knew I wanted to run, so I didn’t want a whole lot in my stomach.  I grabbed a Chobani and bagged up an apple for later…

I got to the gym and went right to the treadmill.  I ran at a decent clip for 2 miles, then walked the rest at an incline.  I forgot to take some Advil beforehand and my hip acted up a little toward the end of the run, but seemed okay for the walk.  I’m trying not to focus on it too much because I think my fear that it will hurt and keep me from finishing the race is weighing on my mind and it’s almost like I’m making it hurt more!  It’s that psychological game.

After the gym, I ate my bagged up breakfast in the car and headed to the supermarket.  I picked up something new to try for lunch- Gardenburger Portabella Veggie Burger…

I thought it would taste great with some of this topping…

And it did!  I served it on an Ezekiel Sesame Seed Hamburger Bun (love) with some Trader Joe’s Sea Salt and Pepper Rice Chips and 3 darling clementines…

The afternoon was a blur of picking up and dropping off and waiting and driving.  Yay for afterschool activities :(  I made sure to bring my “car snack” so I wouldn’t be screaming come dinner!  I found one of these Kashi TLC Pumpkin Pie bars in the pantry (a little past date-okay, a lot past, but I’m still alive!) and thought it would be just right for EWD (eating while driving) <---  that was very “Rachel Ray” wasn’t it? …

I also needed a little pick me up.  I chose a little bubbly.  No, not that kind.  This kind…

I grabbed another Zevia before I left.  This flavor was black cherry and not my favorite, although I find anything black cherry flavored to be too medicinal tasting in general!

We finally made it home at dinner time.  I had planned ahead, so dinner was waiting in the crockpot.  Or as I like to call it “The Crocker”.  I have a love/hate relationship with The Crocker.  I want to love it;  I really do.  I feel it would be an excellent time saving/ meal prepping tool.  HOWEVER, nothing and I mean nothing, I make in The Crocker ever comes out very well.  It’s overdone, overdry or has a  weird texture.  When I take The Crocker out and put it on the counter, the husband and daughters run.  They know nothing good can come of The Crocker.  But, my middle name is perseverance and I keep trying!  This dinner disaster came in the form of Balsamic Apricot Pork Tenderloin.  It had the potential for greatness.  I used a 1 lb. pork tenderloin and put it in The Crocker with 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar, 1/4 c. apricot preserves, garlic, thyme, s + p.  I put it on low for about 4 hours.  Dry and tough.  Yes, it broke apart leading me to believe it would be succulent pieces of deliciousness, but it had a dry texture to it.  Unappealing.  You can imagine the response from the peanut gallery ;P  The saving grace was the roasted diced sweet potatoes (I pre-roasted earlier in the day and reheated at dinner) and green salad with evoo and balsamic…

This lackluster dinner left me wanting dessert.  I was in the mood for coffee, too, so I decided to mix the two!  I made up another version of a Mock Mocha Frappuccino, this time using some Silk Heart Health Vanilla Soymilk…

I was sent a few coupons a while back to try this out.  We are already Silk soymilk fans;  little daughter has been drinking  the plain Silk since being diagnosed with a milk protein allergy at 8 months old.  Thankfully, she has outgrown that allergy and some others, but continues to drink the plain Silk because she likes soymilk better!

To make  my Mock Mocha Frappuccino, I used 1/2 c. Silk Heart Health Vanilla Soymilk, 1/2 c. Breyers Fat Free Double Churn French Chocolate Ice Cream (for some reason, I have 3 containers in my freezer!), 1 tsp. instant espresso powder and blended it up with about 5 ice cubes.  It was awesome!  I topped it with a tiny squirt of light whip…

This tasted just like the real thing!  And for about the same calories – mine came to 145 calories with whip!  This might be a daily thing now, just warning ya!

Since I like to share, I have 4 more Silk Heart Health coupons for a free half gallon in my possession, so I’ll be glad to give them to 4 lucky winners!  Just leave a comment here and you’ll be entered.  If you don’t have a blog, make sure to leave your email address with your comment so that I can contact you.  I’ll announce the winner on Friday morning, October 16th.

Have a great day!

ONE GOOD THING:  I made sure to have my snacks with me so that I wouldn’t be tempted to overeat at other meals:)

Question(s) of the Day:  Do you use a crock pot?  What the heck do you make in that thing that comes out good??!!

Eating In Two’s

Hey, everyone!  It’s been a crazy busy weekend and I’ve got some catching up to do, so I’ll get right to it…

Friday morning started off with a buzz.  With no time for a “proper” breakfast, I decided to grab and eat in the car.  On the way to the gym, I chomped on a Clif Mini Bar…I like brownies in the morning ;)…

I decided to try out the “less and longer” exercise strategy with 1 hour on the recumbent bike.  I didn’t “feel” like I worked out, yet my back was sweaty when I left, so I guess it did something.  And thanks for commenting on the “less is more” vs. “pump your heart out”.  I liked hearing your experiences and some of you brought up some really good points about high intensity interval training.  I’ll definitely look into that more, too.

After the gym, I ate part two of my breakfast…

in about two seconds.  I’m really sucking at taking my time and acknowledging what I am eating.

That held me over for about two more seconds.   Well, really longer than that, but I was ready for lunch very early (11:45).  I had lots of running around to do, so I figured, why fight it?  I heated up a Cuban Black Bean Patty and put it on a hearty Ezekiel Hamburger Bun with guacamole and salsa.  DELISH!

I definitely needed some munch, so I paired it with a serving of Trader Joe’s Sea Salt and Pepper Rice Crisps …love ‘em…

Then, I was missing a fruit, so I grabbed a nectarine while heading out the door…

I ran around getting some last minute things for the husband’s birthday dinner (Sat.), came home and starting prepping.  I needed sustenance;   something to get me through this harrowing afternoon of food preparation.  I decided on …

Okay, this technically doesn’t qualify as nourishment , but they sure were delicious!  They are thin crisps (think Pringles chip) with puffed rice pieces in it to give you that Nestle Crunch bar feel.   They’re not too bad in the calorie department, either…

I had one…

then, another…

These have “stop the insanity” written all over them.  Consider yourself warned :)

I had late dinner plans with my two best buds and knew if I didn’t eat something beforehand, I would devour the bread basket as soon as it hit the table.  I chose a better form of nourishment this time…

That did the trick!  I met up with my girls at a cool restaurant called Spence Cafe.  We were seated and hit the menu right away…

Actually, we hit up the wine first ;)

We started with an antipasto platter with veggies and Maytag blue cheese stuffed artichoke hearts…

and an assorted cheese plate with fruit and toasted baguette…

My plate…loved the cranberry pistachio cheese!

For my entree, I chose from the Light Fare portion of the menu.  I opted for the Eggplant Napoleon with sauteed spinach, mozzarella and ricotta fritter and tomato coulis.  It was anything but “light”.  Other than the 'fritter’ part, I wasn’t expecting this to be a “fried” dish, but , alas, this is what came…

I ate the spinach, half the fritters and half the eggplant.  I was satisfied, but I hate when you don’t get what you expect.  You think you’re making a good choice, then BAM!  Note to self : ask how something is prepared even though you hate to do that and think it’s a pain.

I had a great time catching up with my girls.  We are all so busy and it takes forever to schedule a night out, but when we do, it’s always fun!

I plopped in bed way past my bedtime, but thankfully fried food makes you feel like crap and I fell into a deep fat coma.  Nice :D

ONE GOOD THING:  Spending time with my good friends!!!

I’ll be back later for a recap of hubby’s bday! 

It's Sunday Already?

I can't believe how the weeks and especially the weekends are flying by! I didn't have time to post yesterday because of the fantastic Luau party we went to and let's just say, I'm not too sad about not taking food pics while I was there. It was a food fest like you've never seen and I "tried" to make some healthy choices, but there was definitely some baked brie and one too many brownies that landed on my plate or just right into my mouth. It was a good time and for once, I am feeling no guilt about what I ate. Maybe because I woke up and got right back on track without giving it a second thought. I think I finally realize that overeating on a regular basis isn't my "norm" anymore. I don't like it. I can't do it all the time. I enjoy my healthy eating plan and I begin to crave it when I stray a little. Wow, could I finally be getting this? If so, it's a good feeling and gives me hope that long term maintenance might not be so scary after all...





I felt a bit tired this morning, but really wanted to get in a run. I wasn't able to do it yesterday because I had some weird dizzy spell that put me back to bed for a couple of hours. I felt a lot better this morning, so I hit the treadmill. After 5 minutes, I wanted to quit. I just wasn't feeling it, but I kept talking myself out of quitting and before I knew it, I was 40 minutes into my run and felt like I could have kept running for an hour! Running really is a mind game!





After my run, I had a great breakfast of 1/2 c. Trader Joe's Nonfat Greek Yogurt, 1/2 c. mixed fresh berries (stolen from the party!) and a crumbled Quaker Blueberry Muffin Bar for 4 POINTS...




Breakfast held me over fairly well, but at the first sign of a grumble, I got to making lunch. I have been wanting to use this for a while...



The whole package is barely 3 POINTS (click pic to enlarge)...


I decided to make Salmon and Egg Salad...

• 1 packet of salmon
• 2 hard boiled egg whites, chopped
• 1/4 c. chopped celery
• 1/8 c. diced red onion
• 2 tbsp. Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil
• s + p
  
  

I served it in a Weight Watcher Whole Wheat Pita with some spring mix along with some Sea Salt and Pepper Rice Chips and Rainier cherries. A filling 7 POINT lunch...

Later in the afternoon, I felt like doing some baking. I wanted to use up some of the cooked quinoa that I had in the fridge and after doing some research on the internet, I put together a recipe for quinoa muffins...

Quinoa Cranberry Bran Muffins

• 2 c. quinoa, cooked
• 1/4 c. applesauce, unsweetened
• 3/4 c. skim milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. brown sugar, unpacked
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. oat bran, dry
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 c. dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix first 6 ingredients (quinoa through vanilla) until well combined.
3. In another bowl, combine oat bran, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. Add dry ingredients to quinoa mixture stirring until fully incorporated.
5. Mix in dried cranberries.
6. Fill muffin cups to the top with batter (about a heaping 1/4 c. per muffin cup).
7. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in a tight container or plastic zip bag.

Makes 12 muffins. Each muffin is 134 calories, 2 grams fat, 3 grams fiber, 5 grams protein. (* I calculated nutritional information using www.calorieking.com).

I thought this would be a unique way to use up some of the quinoa that I had cooked for breakfast the other day! These are some hearty muffins...

Of course I had to try one for a snack! Only 2 POINTS and also a nice dose of potassium (234 mg.) and calcium (78 mg.)...

Although, I tried to chase the husband and daughters around the yard to taste my healthy muffins, they weren't going for it. The husband did want to "save" them for his breakfast tomorrow, so I'll let you know if they passed the pain in the *ss picky eater test ;)

I decided to be nice and not torture them with a healthy dinner. They requested Flatbread Pizza again and I agreed. I made plain for them (can we expand our horizons a little, people that live here????) and I decided to mix mine up a bit. I made a whole wheat crust using the ever easy Quick Flatbread Dough recipe, rolled it out and topped it two ways...

• 1 tsp. garlic oil
• sliced tomato
• 1 oz. part skim mozzarella
• fresh basil, shredded

and...

• 1 tsp. garlic oil
• 1/4 c. sliced roasted pepper and onion
• 1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• 3 Kalamata olives, sliced
• fresh basil, shredded

The tomato/mozzarella half came to 7 POINTS and the pepper/goat cheese half came to 9 POINTS...

I had a slice of each and a side salad ...

and I couldn't resist another slice which made for a 12 POINT dinner...

I was full, but later wanted a cold one...

A fruit bar that is! These Trader Joe's Mango and Cream Fruit Bars are a great 1 POINT treat.

I'm doing the Sunday night wind down. Hope you all had a terrific weekend =)

Perfect Picnic Days

Such beautiful days! The weather has been absolutely perfect this week - bright sunshine and low humidity. Perfect for an outdoor run which I am beginning to miss:( I thought I might venture out, but got caught up doing other things this morning, so I just hit the treadmill instead. It was a good 40 minute run; I felt strong and probably could have run longer, but I needed to get going with the daughters. Part of the reason I may have had a better run is because I decided to have breakfast first. I usually don't like to eat before running, but it just worked out that way today and I felt pretty good! Maybe, I'll try it more often and see if it really makes a difference in stamina for me.


So, I was in the mood for something different for breakfast. None of the "same olds" were doing it for me. I thought about doing oats, but saw a box of quinoa in the cabinet, begging to be used, so I decided on that. I cooked up some quinoa, then turned it in to Quinoa Cranberry Pecan Hot Cereal. I used ...

• 1/2 c. cooked quinoa, 1/4 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, 1 tbsp. dried cranberries, 1 tsp. chopped pecans, dash of cinnamon and 1 tsp. sugar free maple syrup; mixed it in a bowl and heated it in the micro for 1 minute.

A very nutritious 3 POINT bowl...

I liked it! Unfortunately, it didn't hang around very long - I was hungry very soon after eating it. That happens to me with oatmeal, too :( I ended up snacking on a cheese stick and some handfuls of crackers. I snapped out of it and headed to the treadmill before I ate the rest of the food in the kitchen :)


After my run, I packed a picnic lunch for the daughters and myself. I surprised them with a trip to the zoo! We got there just in time to set up our picnic lunch under a shady tree. I made a turkey and hummus wrap with spring mix and, to go along with it, Sea Salt and Pepper Rice Chips and a Fuji apple for 6 POINTS...

The daughters' PB&J's attracted an audience...


He almost came right up to us! We had fun watching him and his friends scurrying around us!

We came home tired and ready for dinner. I planned on Flatbread Pizzas using the Quick Flatbread Dough which couldn't be easier! I made a plain sauce and cheese pizza for the husband and daughters and made a Chicken Sausage, Red Pepper and Asiago Pizza for myself. I used half of a leftover chicken sausage with spinach and feta (these are 4 POINTS per sausage), some sauteed red peppers, onion and a slice of Asiago. I cooked the pizza for about 10-15 minutes ...

I started with half the pizza and a side salad dressed with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch...

and then ended up eating the other half, too! That was one big 11 POINT dinner :)

As if that wasn't enough, I had to dig into one of those Holey Donuts! I chose the Raspberry Fudge (5 POINTS) and a light shine down from the heavens....

The Holey Donuts peeps would strangle me if they saw this pic of my melty donut ( nuked too long), but no matter to me - it still tasted terrific! That is one good lowfat donut! The husband even got in on the action and tried the Boston Cream and the Cinnamon Strudel and gave it thumbs up. And he knew they were lowfat! Normally, that would immediately be a deal breaker, but he thought they were really good and would eat them again. Sold!

I'm off to enjoy the rest of the beautiful evening. I leave you runners and/or morning exercisers a Question of the Day...

Do you eat before you run or exercise in the morning?

Have a great night!

An All Day Affair

Shopping was an all day affair today. I had lots to do to prep for little daughter's birthday tomorrow, so I was up and out of the house by 9 a.m. The cupboards were pretty bare, so I grabbed a bowl of Puffins with unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and Trader Joe's Freeze Dried Strawberries for 3 POINTS...


I hit the produce store, regular grocery store and Trader Joe's before rushing back for lunch. I was really hungry. I've been noticing that I get "the shakes" if I go too long and I hate that feeling. So strange since I remember those old days when I used to go the whole day without eating anything and then, eat a big meal at night. It never bothered me then, but what a great way to screw up your metabolism! I wouldn't even think of going that long without food now! Anyway, lunch had to be quick since I was starving, so I went with a hummus and cucumber sammie on an Arnold Sandwich Thin, a serving of Trader Joe's Sea Salt and Pepper Rice Chips and 1 c. of.... can you guess what those yellow cubes are? If you said, yellow watermelon, you're right! I have never seen yellow watermelon before coming across it at Trader Joe's today. Looks like a regular watermelon on the outside, but it has a lemon yellow color on the inside. Interesting! I thought the flavor was sweet, but mild. Almost a honey-like flavor. I liked it, but red watermelon remains my favorite, especially when it's super sweet like candy ;P
Altogether, a yummy 6 POINT lunch...


I barely finished my last bite before I was out the door again. Do you believe, I had to hit 2 more supermarkets (each one carries something that I needed that the other didn't - Pfft!)? Then, a final trip to Target and Five Below. I felt my stomach rumbling, but it was getting too close to dinner for a snack, so I decided to give myself an afternoon jolt to get me through....

I heart Mocha Light Frappuccinos! (2 POINTS)

I planned a light dinner for the husband and daughters tonight : Annie's Shells and White Cheddar with some mixed veggies ( on the side - of course! No way would they allow those two things to TOUCH ;)) I picked up a new single serving frozen meal at Trader Joe's today and thought it would be a good opportunity to try it....

This Filet of Sole with Butter Beans and Fresh Spinach looks delicious, doesn't it??? And the nutritional facts are phenomenal - only 3 POINTS!

Unfortunately, this was not as tasty of a meal as I was hoping. The flavor was very bland with just a bit of heat here and there from the poblano and chili seasoning. There were about 2 strands of spinach and the butter beans were very mushy. Boo! TJ's needs to go back to the drawing board on that one. I plated my meal and ended up adding 1/2 c. Annie's Shells and White Cheddar on the side. It was the best part of my meal! That is seriously the greatest boxed mac and cheese I have ever tasted! Love it!

My sad 6 POINT dinner...

After dinner, I prepped a bit for tomorrow night's meal, cleaned up and settled down for some dessert. I wanted something really fantastic, but decided I should finish up these Weight Watchers Chocolate Sundae Cones (2 POINTS) before breaking out some other dessert...

Whew, that's enough shopping for one day! At least I kept moving the whole day, which is about all the exercise I was able to fit in today. I think before I sit for too long, I'll get in my C&K 10 Minute Strength Training Workout, too! I'm determined to do it for the month long challenge. Okay, I'm getting up now....

Have a great night =)